I have seen 5 of the Best Picture nominations…Boyhood, Grand Budapest Hotel, The Theory of Everything, American Sniper & most recently, Whiplash. I found Boyhood to be very real and an interesting concept, to film over a period of 12 years. American Sniper was very powerful, but I think my favorite of the films I have seen is Whiplash. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. It stars the guy from the Farmer’s Insurance commercials, J.K. Simmons…and he isn’t so nice in the movie as he is in the commercials.

While most of us will be watching the Oscars in more humble setups, some of the following home theaters are pretty creative…although I am not sure I would want them in my home necessarily.

Here is a very “over-the-top” home theater.

This one is cool…except for the ND all over everything…change it to U of M and I would like it much better.

For starters…what is the “tiny house movement?” A “tiny house” is generally anything between 100 and 400 square feet. As in the entire “house.” Bedrooms in a “normal” house are often bigger than 100 square feet and master bedroom suites can easily run to 400 square feet. In fact, most building codes require that no room be smaller than 70 square feet and at least one room be at least 120 square feet…which is why the tiny house movement resorted to trailer beds. In order to circumvent building codes many tiny houses are built on trailer beds, making them mobile…and therefore, in theory anyway, not subject to building codes. But a trailer bed (and mobility) restricts the size of any such house to no wider than 8 ½ feet, no longer than 18 feet and no higher than about 13 ½ feet (think bridge overpasses). If you do the math, the footprint is just over 150 square feet (although some tiny houses gain some additional square footage via the use of sleeping lofts).

Since 1973 the average size of new construction in the US has gone from 1660 square feet to just shy of 2700 square feet in 2013…at the same time the average family size has gone from 3.01 people to 2.54 people…fewer people with more space. In fact, where I live the new construction I see is well above 2700 square feet, instead generally in the range of 4500 to 5500 square feet. Some of this is driven by economics…land is so scarce in greater Boston that builders have to put up as much house as possible to recognize a return. But it is also driven by consumer demand…people seem to want bigger and bigger spaces. But like everything in the US, while some people want more, there is a growing movement towards less, towards simplification.

So if the average home size is getting bigger, who is behind the tiny house movement? Well, for starters, recognize that the tiny house movement still represents a very small piece of the pie…only 1% of the homes purchased in the US today are less than 1,000 square feet. The actual number of tiny homes is a bit hard to quantify…many are built discreetly, and many that are mobile don’t require the same kind of permits, making numbers more difficult to determine. Generally the tiny house concept is embraced by the 18-34 demographic looking to own their first home without going into enormous debt. There is also a component made up by the 55+ crowd looking to downsize. And ironically, Jay Shafer, owner of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, estimates about two-thirds of the tiny house plans he sells are being used to build “backyard retreats.” Ah yes, because with our living and family rooms, media rooms, finished basements, home offices and huge master suites we don’t have quite enough room. Interesting that people feel a need to “retreat” to something small and compact.

Despite all that, there is a small but growing movement to build smaller and smarter…to make rooms function for multiple purposes as opposed to having a room for every purpose…to make use of every square inch of space. For some, the tiny house concept offers a chance to own a home for a fraction of the cost of an average home…tiny houses can start as low as $23,000 (if you build it yourself…ready-made begin at closer to $60,000)…this at a time when the average price for a new home in the US now exceeds $300,000. For others the tiny house movement is about mobility…while “large” in the sense of a mobile home, tiny houses can still be pulled on the road and moved from location to location. On the television show “Tiny House Nation” I have seen tiny houses embraced by people whose jobs require them to work in different locations for periods of time. I have also seen a home perched on a mountain top in summer and moved to a valley in winter. The tiny house movement also appeals to those looking to reduce their carbon footprint…tiny houses use fewer resources to construct and fewer resources to heat, cool and run. And the tiny house movement appeals to those looking to simplify, those who decide their lives are ruled by too much stuff.

While the tiny house movement may not take over the world, and it may not be for everyone, there is a certain appeal to less space, living more simply. And maybe that doesn’t mean we all have to downsize to 400 square feet…but it sure is making me rethink my 3,000 square feet.

What are your thoughts? Could you see yourself living in 400 square feet or less? How big is your current home? Can you see yourself doing with less?

So I have made some progress on my Christmas shopping…thank you internet. I love having an idea, finding it online, typing in my address and credit card information and then sitting back waiting for it to show up at my door. How did we ever get through the holidays without the internet? Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t hit the mall too. I still like to wander some of my favorite stores looking for cool stocking stuffers and gift ideas. But online shopping sure takes some of the pressure off.

With the gift shopping seemingly under control I am beginning to think of holiday baking. I am a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas. I think it is fun to have traditions, especially when you take traditions you grew up with and then add your own. One of the traditions I have with my kids is decorating sugar cookies. Over the years this has evolved and has often included various friends and/or family members. The tradition is the decorating, who is involved changes from year to year. I have tried various sugar cookie recipes and now have a “go-to” one that I use every year (or I had a go-to recipe…I am searching frantically for it, hoping I will find it before this weekend!). I make traditional icing from powdered sugar and butter in at least six colors. And I have a wide array of decorations and decorating tools, some from the supermarket, some from King Arthur Flour (a favorite source) and some from Williams-Sonoma. Let me say right now…our cookie decorating is much more about fun than perfection ~ there are no Martha Stewart creations here. In fact, over the years we have had some incredibly silly cookies. And let’s just say that sometimes the word “creative,” when used to describe the results, is used very (very) loosely (the cookie to the left started off as a snowflake but one of the arms of it broke off, leaving way for the evolution of some kind of Christmas monster…hey, I didn’t make it). But we have a lot of fun and our cookies always taste good, which is what it is all about.

In addition to our sugar cookies, I usually make a few other favorites. In our house we love my gingerbread cookies (and they are often a part of our decorating efforts). I am not a huge fan of molasses and some of the strong spice flavors that find themselves in the list of gingerbread ingredients. In fact, until I tried a friend’s gingerbread when I lived in London, I didn’t think I liked gingerbread. But her’s was different…no molasses, fresh ginger and ground ginger, along with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg…very easy dough to work with and a subtle taste. If you didn’t think you liked gingerbread, give this one a try (thank you Meryl!).

Over the years I have tried different holiday cookies and candies…some I might make for years, others just once. But I think it is fun to try something new with the hope that I will find that terrific recipe that will become part of my holiday tradition. In that vein, here is a selection of some recipes that are on my short-list this year to give a try.

Not only do these sound delicious (chocolate cookie dough, nuts, caramel, chocolate…) but they look really pretty too. And while there are multiple steps involved, they still fall into what I call a “doable” category. It’s the holidays, a little extra effort is expected.

A version of thumbprint cookies almost always get made in my house…the recipe I use is one my mother made when I was growing up…how is that for tradition? But I have to say that this version is not only pretty & festive, but sounds super yummy. Might be the year to try something new.

These bark ideas are so easy. This one adds red and green M&Ms, mint oreos, white chocolate chips and crushed peppermint. The author has you crush candy canes in a ziploc bag…I like to buy the already crushed candy canes…much easier and you end up with nice, uniform pieces…call me lazy or call me a perfectionist…here are a couple of resources: Wilton for a small amount (6 oz) and Andes for 10 oz).

If you want to try my gingerbread recipe but you don’t have a gingerbread man cookie cutter, why not try these Christmas trees instead? I think they look really pretty and would be easy peasy to make ~ sometimes I don’t want to have to think too much about being creative. Plus who doesn’t like a cookie with nonpareils on it?

Because really, can you get too much peppermint at the holidays? I think not. And if you order that bigger bag of crushed peppermint, you can use it in this recipe too. I love things that are easy and look pretty all at the same time.

This is another take on turtles (who doesn’t love turtles?). I am totally making these. Of all the recipes, this one couldn’t be simpler ~ I think the hardest part will be unwrapping all the caramels. I have all the ingredients…I will let you know how they turn out.

What are your baking traditions? Do you stick with the tried and true every year or do you like to experiment with something new? What are your opinions on gingerbread? Do you know where my sugar cookie recipe is? :)

I have yet to start my Christmas shopping. My tree is up, but there is not a single wrapped present under it (or unwrapped present hiding in a closet somewhere). Moving less than two months ago and starting a new job/new career just over a month ago, I feel a bit behind on the whole holiday thing. So it is highly unlikely that I will find time to make any gifts. But I still like the idea of homemade gifts, especially for hostess gifts and gifts to neighbors. And maybe some of you have a bit more time on your hands and would like to try one or more of these ideas out. If you do, give me some feedback.

I scoured Pinterest for what I thought were good homemade gift ideas…things that weren’t overly complicated/ didn’t require a laundry list of tools and supplies and would be something I would be proud to give as a gift. Let me tell you, there is a plethora of how to make your own bath salts and body scrubs. But I was kind of “meh” on those…does anyone actually use those? And they seemed to be made of sugar as the base…I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t in love with the idea of rubbing some scented sugar all over my body…like isn’t sugar sticky? Just didn’t do it for me. I did include a “body butter” idea, but I’m a bit skeptical…trying to be open-minded.

So I have eight different ideas for you. Some could be really fun to do with children…I love the idea of having kids make gifts. My own kids are grown up now but over the years we made and gave many a gift. I think it means more to the kids when they have a hand in the gift. But let’s get on with it, there are only 17 days until Christmas!

I thought these were really cute and people can always use coasters. You can choose some pretty wrapping paper or scrapbooking paper to make these ~ Paper Source has some beautiful options…you could even make some holiday specific coasters. I was recently looking for (non-holiday) coasters and quite frankly I was disappointed in what was available…a lot of ugly ones out there. So this seemed like a fun idea, and definitely something that kids could do. You will probably need to make a run to the craft store for a few supplies, along with a trip to Home Depot or Lowe’s for the tiles. But overall this seemed like a relatively simple project with nice results. I won’t get to these before the holidays but I might try to make a set for myself later on.

Forcing bulbs at the holidays is a fun way to bring some cheer into the house in the middle of winter, and paperwhites are an easy bulb to force. This project requires just a few supplies, and is another one that children can help with. This could be a nice gift to hand out to neighbors, or to deliver to a senior center…although any age can enjoy flowers in winter! I expect you can find the bulbs at any outdoor center but if you like to have things magically appear at your door like I do, you can order them on Amazon (of course) or from Home Depot.

This one is just really pretty…makes a very nice presentation, and once you find the containers, the rest of the supplies are easy. The author gives some direction in finding the craft bottles she used, I am giving you the direct link. The bottles are $1 apiece. The author says that each gift comes in at about $5, perfect for giving to teachers, neighbors or anyone you just want to give a little something to without breaking the bank. I like the myriad of ideas for what to fill the containers with (besides the hot cocoa mix of course!). Kids would have fun putting these together. What really makes this gift in my opinion is the decorative ribbon and other touches that give it a festive look. A lot of room for being creative here.

Can’t get any easier than this one. You need some kind of glassware and sharpie paint pens (which dry quickly and are smear-resistant and waterproof). The glasses shown here are done with silver and gold paint pens ($5.99 on Amazon, or I just found them at Staples)…I am all about glitz at the holidays, so I love these. But you could also use red and green or blue and silver for some Hanukkah fun. You don’t even have to be particularly talented to do these…maybe the Christmas tree above would take a moderate amount of skill, but the squiggles and dots anyone can do, even someone with minimal artistic talent like myself. I also found these examples at Crate & Barrel which would be easy to mimic.

This one I am a bit more skeptical about, but it sure looks pretty. It is made from coconut oil, cocoa butter, peppermint oil and some red food coloring. I think I would try this on myself before giving to someone else. And I would also to make sure to label this well…I might be tempted to eat it instead of using it on my skin if I didn’t know better.

This idea is presented as a two-tiered platter, which is nice for the holidays for serving cookies and other treats. But you could also just do holiday plates or platters without adding the candlestick to make it two tiered. Note that the modge podge shown in the directions is not waterproof. There is a waterproof one called outdoor modge podge, if you thought you would be subjecting your plates/platters to more vigorous cleaning. I still wouldn’t put anything like this in the dishwasher.

This is a fun gift because it is adaptable to different themes. You can do a Christmas Baking Kit, Winter Cold Survival Kit, Movie Night Tin, Coffee Lover Tin, Snow Day Tin, Spa Day Tin or anything else you can dream up or that would be a good fit for the recipient (I think an art tin for kids could be fun). The great thing about the linked post is that she provides you with printable labels and tags to go with the gift tins she has posted about, making it even easier to reproduce beautiful results.

Finding the galvanized tubs isn’t quite so easy (or inexpensive). I did find this resource, aptly called Bucket Outlet, that has a host of different sizes and the price points seem reasonable. Just recognize that the price of this gift could vary a lot depending on the contents and the style/size of the container you choose. Bucket Outlet also has colored buckets if you would prefer to do something in red or blue (Hanukkah) or even as a gift for a birthday, mother’s day, etc.

Probably the one idea on my list that isn’t really child-friendly. :) Limoncello…so pretty, so tasty. I had no idea you could make your own. And truthfully it seems like it would be pretty easy…but you might have to start this one next year as it needs to set first for 2 weeks, then for an additional 3 weeks. So too late for this Christmas…but pin it to your Pinterest* page for next year. Or try it out for yourself now, make for friends next year. Unfortunately you are going to have to make your own tags (aren’t the ones pictured cute?).

Unlike the Limoncello, the Bailey’s Irish Cream (or maybe we should just call it Irish Cream, right?) is ready immediately and will keep up to 2 months in the refrigerator. Finding bottles like these is pretty easy…here is an online resource. And here is another resource for all kinds of bottles and jars (including mason jars) that can be used in various projects.

I know I said “8” holiday gifts you can make, but I’m going to throw in one bonus gift…for those with no time or limited skills. I’m not even going to link to a blog post on this one, I think you got this. :)

So there you have it, eight nine different ideas to get your holiday gift-giving jump-started. I would love to hear from anyone who tries out any of these projects…both the good and the bad. Did it turn out? Was it easy or hard? Any tips you would like to pass along? Was the gift well-received? And most importantly, was it FUN?!

I read a great piece in the Boston Globe the other day titled “Can We Talk About the 2024 Olympics?” In in Yvonne Abraham discusses the fact that the US Olympic Committee will be making a decision in the next few months about which US host city they will be submitting to the IOC for consideration for the Summer 2024 Olympics. Four cities are in the running, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC and…(cue dramatic music)…Boston. I admit to hearing some murmurings about Boston putting in a bid to host the Olympics, but I didn’t realize this was really happening…you may think me naive, but I don’t think I am the only one who isn’t paying a lot of attention.

“Boston has somehow become a finalist without ever saying officially that it wants to do this, and now it could actually win without any political body saying we want to do this,” said Andrew Zimbalist, a professor of economics at Smith College…

I didn’t really think this would go anywhere, and now I read that by January we may be the US pick to enter the running to host. I have to admit to feeling a bit panicky when I read the Boston Globe article…the LAST thing I want is to be a host city for the Olympics. When I was ten or so I probably would have thought it really exciting, but being now older (and wiser, much wiser) I find the idea frightening. Not only do I see it as a royal pain in the you-know-what for those who actually live in (or in my case, near) the host city, I just don’t think that the lure of hosting the “world’s largest party” makes a lot of economic sense.

Of course, I’m speaking in the public sense…it doesn’t make much economic sense to me, a taxpayer. But it probably makes loads of sense to the leader of the local committee supporting Boston’s bid, who just so happens to be the CEO of a large….wait for it…construction company. Yeah, makes loads of economic sense for them. How much are they projecting that the Olympics will cost Boston? $4.5 billion? Seriously? Athens cost $16 billion, Beijing $40 billion, and London $20 billion. Where is $4.5 billion coming from? That would be difficult to say, as John Fish, the CEO of Suffolk Construction, has said that it is too early in the bidding process to have “any real discussions about the bid,” that such things should wait until Boston has actually received the blessing from the US Olympic Committee. At which point, as Yvonne Abraham points out in her article, it might be too late. Fish seems to think that by putting Boston forward as a host city he is helping both Boston and the state of Massachusetts. And yet, history (of which there is a lot of) doesn’t seem to support the idea that hosting an Olympics brings economic benefits to the host.

The reigning idea that hosting an Olympics boosts tourism and economic development is not borne out by the actual numbers. In fact, some hosts (most recently London and Beijing) actually see a decrease in tourism. As Victor Matheson, professor of Economics at Holy Cross says, “Boston is already overrun with tourists in the summer.” We don’t need an Olympics to boost tourism. And building stadiums ~ not a lot of economic sense. Los Angeles, one of the few economically successful Olympics, did not build new stadiums. There has been talk recently of the Kraft family building a new soccer stadium, which could potentially play into the need for an Olympic venue. Except that a soccer stadium is generally built to hold around 20,000, whereas the Olympic stadium would need to hold 80,000. Boston apparently has enough hotel rooms, basketball courts, soccer stadiums and baseball parks, but lacks four necessary venues.

The biggest — the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium and 100-acre Olympic Village, with 16,500 beds and a 5,000-seat dining hall — would ideally be built close to the city center, to satisfy the IOC’s recommendations. However, land in Boston’s urban core is scarce, the report said. The state would also need an Olympic-sized velodrome for the cycling events and a large aquatics center.

And then there’s the transportation issue.

The public transit system would need to be expanded, “requiring additional and significant investments in our infrastructure to handle the capacity that an Olympics would bring to Boston,” the report said. Traffic — already a notorious bugaboo of life in Boston — would also be a concern, the report noted.

I don’t think a lot of Massachusetts residents are paying all that much attention. And they should. Certainly Boston could benefit from some infrastructure improvements and some see hosting an Olympics as a way to “fast track” that. But along with the infrastructure improvements would come a lot of headache and unnecessary expense. As Eric Wilbur wrote in his sports blog on boston.com

What the Olympics could do is prompt an immediate upgrade in the subway system and city bridges, both long overdue.

Perfect. Do we have to invite the country of Andorra here in order to get that done?

Studies show high levels of public support from the host nation before, during and after an Olympics. I’m just wondering if the high level of support would actually be realized in the state of Massachusetts.

What do you think? As a Massachusetts resident, are you supportive of an Olympic bid (and just because I’m not doesn’t make me right)? If you live elsewhere, what do you think of a Boston bid? What if your state was putting forth a bid, would you feel any differently?

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving…can you give me a “whoop whoop?” I am not hosting and am feeling quite relaxed. So relaxed that I spent part of yesterday putting up Christmas lights. It was 60 degrees, it seemed like the smart thing to do.

I found this interesting article, “The Thanksgiving Recipes Googled in Every State,” in the New York Times that I thought I would share with you. It lists the top ten most googled Thanksgiving recipes in every state (that’s the easy explanation of the results, read the article for a more detailed explanation). I am going to say up-front, there were some weird entries. Let’s go through it, state-by-state:

Alabama: Sweet potato dumplings.Right now I am just waiting (fingers-crossed) for Alabama to lose a football game and tumble out of the top 4 college football playoff teams. I could care less what they are having for Thanksgiving. Go Frogs!

Alaska: Cranberry Relish. Thanksgiving 101. It’s a state full of men who probably don’t know how to cook.

Arizona: Turkey Enchiladas. Sounds good to me. But more interesting is that the 2nd most googled Thanksgiving recipe is Rice Krispie treats. Rice Krispie treats for Thanksgiving? That just makes me laugh.

Arkansas: Four Layer Delight.This is the first of many dessert-like entries on the 50 states’ list. At least this one doesn’t pretend to be a salad (see Colorado, Delaware, Illinois and others). Apparently Four Layer Delight involves cookies, Cool-Whip, chocolate pudding (and then more Cool-Whip). Can you say diabetic coma?

California: Persimmon Bread.I find it interesting that in the NY Times article the California entry is followed by a discussion of yams and how California is a big producer of them. That’s great, but what does that have to do with persimmon bread? A persimmon is a fruit, it is not a yam. I have never had a persimmon and have certainly never cooked with one.

Colorado: Frog Eye Salad.No, I did not make that up. The name sounds disgusting. The recipe sounds even worse…pasta, fruit, eggs, whipped cream and marshmallows. And Colorado isn’t the only one googling frog eye salad, see below.

Connecticut: Butternut Squash Casserole.Sounds boring until I googled it and found a recipe that includes leeks, thyme, bread, parmesan and prosciutto. Now I’m paying attention.

Delaware: Pretzel Salad.Dessert disguised as “salad.” Involves a pretzel crust, strawberries, jello and the ubiquitous (or so it seems at Thanksgiving) Cool-Whip.

Florida: flan de calabaza. Runner up is flan de queso. A reflection of the large Latino population. Calabaza is a type of squash that looks a lot like a pumpkin. Personally, I hate flan…sue me.

Hawaii: Pumpkin Crunch. Definitely surprised by how un-Hawaiian this sounds ~ every other state is googling things that involve pineapple & coconut. Must have some “sister-state” Thanksgiving-recipe-swap-thing going on with Illinois.

Indiana: Persimmon Pudding.Okay, second entry involving persimmons. Am I the only one who has not only never had persimmon anything, but has never even considered using a persimmon? Who knew they were so popular? The recipe I linked to is called “boozy persimmon pudding.” If I’m going to try persimmons, that seems like a good place to start.

Louisiana: Mirliton Casserole. Kudos to Louisiana for topping their search with something that doesn’t involve Cool-Whip. What it does involve is shrimp, mirlitons (a kind of squash, often called chayote) and some cajun spices. Sounds pretty good to me.

Maine: Pumpkin Whoopie Pie. I have to admit to having made these before. One word. Yum. The whoopie pie is a New England thing, a bandwagon I am happy to jump on.

Massachusetts: Mashed Butternut Squash.Yes, we are home to Harvard, MIT, Williams College, Amherst, Wellesley and on and on…yet we google “mashed butternut squash.” Do we really need a “recipe” for it?

Michigan: Cheesy Potatoes.I am from Michigan. I can say I have never had cheesy potatoes at Thanksgiving (and if I did, I would have called them au gratin potatoes, but whatever).

Minnesota: Wild Rice Casserole.Makes sense I guess as I think most of the wild rice (which we do all know isn’t really “rice,” right?) is grown in Minnesota. I am linking to a recipe that adds kale, mushrooms, onions and Gruyère cheese. I am adding this to my Pinterest page.

Missouri: Green Rice Casserole.The NY Times says this involves rice, cheese, parsley & pepper. The recipe I found when I googled it called for broccoli, rice, cream of mushroom soup and Velveeta (do they still make Velveeta?), which isn’t really cheese.

Montana: Fruit Salad. This falls in the same category as Massachusetts. Really, who needs to google how to make fruit salad? I’m not even providing a link it is that ridiculous. At least it doesn’t involve Cool-Whip. Or Velveeta.

Nevada: Frog Eye Salad.The third most searched recipe was “vegetarian gravy.” Which just seems to be the opposite of frog eye salad. Will they be at the same table?

New Hampshire: Pumpkin Whoopie Pie.New Hampshire must love pie. Of the top ten most searched recipes in New Hampshire, 5 were for pies. And that doesn’t include whoopie pies and turkey pot pie.

New Jersey: Stuffed Artichokes. New Jersey, I commend you on your entry. But personally I think artichokes are better ordered at a restaurant. They just seem very high maintenance to me. Who really has the time at Thanksgiving to make stuffed artichokes? Much easier to throw together some candy bars, Cool-Whip and pudding and call it a salad.

New York: Stuffed Artichokes. So New Jersey. More interesting is the 3rd entry, “coquito” a version of eggnog that includes cream of coconut.

North Carolina: Pig Pickin’ Cake. I have no idea where the name comes from but it does sound very southern (and not particularly appetizing). Basically cake with mandarin oranges, pineapple and Cool-Whip. Thanksgiving is apparently not Thanksgiving without Cool-Whip. The second most googled recipe in North Caroline is “cherry yum yum.” Where do they get these names?

North Dakota: Cookie Salad.I am going to let you guess what is in this. Just make sure nothing even remotely healthy is in it or you would be wrong. And yes, Cool-Whip is involved.

Ohio: Dirt Pudding.Same thing, called by another name…pudding, cookies and Cool-Whip. So unimaginative. Except for the gummy worms some versions add. So Thanksgiving.

Oklahoma: Sopapilla Cheesecake.Just when I was about to fall asleep, Oklahoma shows up with sopapilla cheesecake. Except that it isn’t cheesecake, not even close. It looks more like bread and involves crescent rolls and lots of sugar. Maybe Oklahoma should google “cheesecake.”

Oregon: Vegan Mushroom Gravy.Leave it to Oregon to switch things up. In their top ten most googled recipes, four involve “vegan.” And none of their top ten involves Cool-Whip.

Pennsylvania: Potato Filling.Or for those not from Pennsylvania, “potato stuffing.” Personally I prefer my potatoes mashed.

Puerto Rico: Tembleque.Yeah, I know Puerto Rico isn’t one of the 50 states, but it’s on the NY Times list, so here it is. Plus their entry is unique. Tembleque is apparently a kind of coconut pudding. Kudos to Puerto Rico for also having sangria make their top ten most googled recipes.

South Carolina: Pineapple Casserole. We sure seem to have an obsession with pineapple and mandarin oranges at Thanksgiving…you know, just like the Pilgrims & Indians, don’t you think? This recipe calls for pineapple and cheese…sounds like a weird combo to me.

South Dakota: Snicker Salad.Another state obsessed with candy bars in their “salad.”

Tennessee: Spinach Maria. Basically spinach with lots and lots of cheese. The American obsession with taking something healthy and doing their best to make it not so healthy.

Texas: Sopapilla Cheesecake. See Oklahoma. Personally I was more intrigued with the “green bean bundles” further down on their list, which seems to be green beans wrapped with a bit of bacon. Yum.

Utah: Funeral Potatoes. I got a recipe for this a long time ago from a friend who called it “party potatoes.” So much happier than “funeral” potatoes. I don’t make these at Thanksgiving, but they are good and they can feed a crowd.

Vermont: Maple Walnut Pie.It’s Vermont, what did you expect? They also google “maple glazed carrots” and “maple pecan pie.”

Virginia: Collard Greens.Greens with a bit of ham and some spices. Sounds good to me.

Washington: Smoked Salmon Dip. I was more intrigued with the “lefse” further down their list. Turns out it is a kind of Norwegian potato pancake.

Washington D.C.: Corn Pudding. (Washington D.C. is also technically not a state, but whatever, we will let them play). Cornbread, whole kernel corn and creamed corn all in one dish.

West Virgina: Deer Jerky. Most unexpected “Thanksgiving” recipe entry. I am sure my brother is making some of this right about now (even though he doesn’t live in West Virginia).

Wisconsin: Brownberry Stuffing. I was disappointed to learn that Brownberry is a brand. So “Brownberry stuffing” could also be “Pepperidge Farm stuffing.” It’s your basic stuffing as far as I can tell.

Wyoming: Frog Eye Salad. Yes, we finish up the list with another frog eye salad entry. Apparently the most googled recipe in the United States as it tops the list for four states. Gross.

So there you have it…just a bit of fun diversion from the tasks associated with Thanksgiving preparation. Maybe a few new recipes to try, if not tomorrow, then sometime in the future. I hope you have a wonderful holiday, see you next week!